Introduction to poetry

1. INTRODUCTIONTOPOETRY
T.A Mpungose
University of Johannesburg

2. https://www.allpoetrylife.com/2020/09/what-is-poetry-what-defines-poetry.html

3. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brainyquote.com%2Ftopics%2Fpoetry-quotes

4. WHAT IS POETRY?
Poetry is an imaginative
awareness of experience
expressed through meaning,
sound, and rhythmic language
choices so as to evoke an
emotional response.
Poetry is an art that is written or
spoken rhythmically, it involves
using words in a way that will
create a clear image in the
readers’ mind.
Poetry expresses good feelings
and bad feelings. It follows a
particular flow of rhythm and
meter.
A good written poem can make
you see, hear, smell, taste and
touch the things the poet is
talking about.

5. Types of Poetry
Lyric
• Sonnet
• Elegy
• Ode
Narrative
• Epic
• Ballad
• Social
Dramatic
• Dramatic
monology
• Oration
• Character
sketch
• Soliloquy
Special Types
• Haiku
• Name
poem
• Cinquain
• Free verse

6. LYRIC Poetry
• A lyric poem, is short, highly musical verse that
conveys powerful feelings.
• The poet may use rhyme, meter, or other literary
devices to create a song-like quality.
• Lyric poetry does not have to tell a story.
• It is a private expression of emotion by a single
speaker.

7. Examples of Lyric poetry
Sonnet- the name ‘Sonnet’ derives from Italian word ‘Sonneto’ which
means little song.
A sonnet is a short poem consisting of fourteen lines.
It is known to follow a strict pattern of rhyming scheme.
Elegy- reflects upon death or loss. It contains themes of mourning
the dead, feeling of grief and melancholy.
The theme of this type of poem is death.
Ode- a poem that expresses praise, glorification, or tribute for an
individual, an idea, or event.

8. NARRATIVE Poetry
• This type of poetry describes events in a vivid way.
The aim of this type of poetry is to entertain, not to
express the writer’s thoughts or feelings.
• Can be fictional or nonfictional.
• Some narrative poetry takes the form of a novel by
including plot, characters and dialogue.

9. EXAMPLES OF NARRATIVE Poetry
Epic- this is a long narrative poem that normally tells a story about a
historical hero or a legend.
Ballad- it tells a story like epic poems however, ballad poetry is often
based on a legend or a folk tale.
Often written in four to six stanzas.
Has regular rhythms and rhyme schemes.
Social- this type of poetry is either purely comic or tragic and pictures
the life of today.
It may aim to bring changes to social conditions.

10. DRAMATICPOETRY
• It uses dramatic techniques and tells a story.
• It is meant to be acted or spoken
• Emphasizes the character rather than the narrative

11. EXAMPLES OF DRAMATICPOETRY
Dramatic monologue- a combination of drama and poetry.
Presents some line or speech of a single character in a particular but complicated
situation, sometimes in a dilemma.
Oration- a speech delivered in a formal and dignified manner and usually
delivered on some notable occasion.
Character sketch- a writer is concerned less with the elements of the story.
The writer represents his observations and comments to a particular individual.
Soliloquy- the speaker of the poem or character in play delivers a passage.
The thoughts and emotions are heard by the author and the audience as well.

12. SPECIAL TYPES OF POETRY
Haiku- originated from Japan.
A short type of poem that is often the most difficult to understand.
 It consists of three lines of five, seven and five syllables that generally do not
rhyme.
Name a Poem- it belongs to descriptive poetry that uses and adjective to
describe a person that begins with each letter of that person’s name.
Cinquain- originated from Japan.
A short poem that’s consists of five lines that do not rhyme and contains two,
four, six, eight and two syllables.
Free verse- It is openly called as ‘Poem with no rules’.
It can consist of as many lines as the writer wants and either rhyme or not, has no
fixed metrical pattern.

13. WHAT TO
LOOK FOR
WHEN
READING A
POEM?

14. ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Elements of poetry are
defined as a set of
instruments that are used
to create a poem.
These elements helps to
bring imagery and emotion
to poetry, stories and
drama.
They help the reader to
create an image of what
the writer is expressing in
the poem.

15. ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Rhyme
Rhythm
Repetition
Imagery
Simile
Metaphor
Alliteration
Personification
Onomatopoeia

16. ELEMENTS OF POETRY EXPLAINED
Rhyme- in a poem that has rhyme, the last word or sounds of the lines
match with each other in some way
 -E.g. AABB, ABAB, CDCD EFEF GG
Rhythm- the beat or music of a poem, attained through syllables,
repetition and rhyme.
The best way of understanding the rhythm is to read the poem out loud
and understand which syllables are stressed and which are not.
Repetition- refers to repetition of sounds used, words used or phrases
used to add rhythm or emphasize an idea.

17. Imagery- used by the writer for the readers to create an
image in their mind when reading the poem.
-Imagery appeals to all five senses, e.g. when the writer
says ‘as the sun sets, the sky was drenched in red’ an
image of red sky is created in the readers mind.
Simile- comparing one thing to another using ‘like’ or
‘as’
E.g. ‘she is strong like a rock’

18. Metaphor- compares two things but does not use ‘like’ or ‘as’
It is an excellent way to make a specific point
E.g. ‘My mother is my world.’
Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the
beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
‘Betty bought burgers before taking a bus.’

19. Personification- a figure of speech where an object or an animal is
given human feelings, thoughts or attitudes.
E.g. ‘The stars spoke to them’
 Onomatopoeia- The use of words that sounds like what they mean.
E.g. ‘Bang! Buzz’

20. REFERENCES
Achurch, L. (2015) Poetic Techniques PowerPoint Presentation. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/leighachurch/poetic-techniques-51180619?qid=c3650fa7-8348-4ce2-
92e2-ae5bdda54f01&v=&b=&from_search=10 (Accessed 23 August 2021).
Cassels, B. (2011) Elements of Poetry PowerPoint Presentation. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/bcassels/elements-of-poetry-7022583
Gatchalian, F. (2014) Types of Poetry PowerPoint Presentation. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/chelseafied1994/types-of-poetry-36649070 (Accessed 23 August
2021).
Jackyline, T. L. (2011) Types and Elements of Poetry PowerPoint Presentation. Available from
SlideShare at https://www.slideshare.net/JackylineLagaa/types-and-elements-of-poetry (Accessed
on 20 August 2021).
Maine, S. (2013) Basic Elements of Poetry PowerPoint Presentation. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/MaineSamson/basic-elements-of-poetry (Accessed on 25 August 2021).
Nelson, S. (2008) Poetry PowerPoint Presentation. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/stevexnelson/poetry-presentation-835864?qid=9639f835-233e-4b7a-
93ef-471bc83e38a5&v=&b=&from_search=1 (Accessed on 25 August 2021).

21. PICTURESREFERENCES
[Photograph of wooden “POETRY” words]. (n.d.).
https://9mousai.com/submit-poetry/
[Photograph of pencil and floating words]. (n.d.).
https://www.wisdompills.com/15-beautiful-lines-poetry/
[Photograph of a woman wearing glasses, holding a book and pen].
(n.d.). https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-
brain/how-poetry-affects-human-brain.htm
[Photograph of “Elements of Poetry”]. (n.d.).
https://www.teachstarter.com/au/teaching-resource/elements-poetry-
powerpoint/
[Photograph of brain and book]. (n.d.).
https://blog.elevateapp.com/poetry-lights-up-the-brain-71376800bce4